and they opposed His judgment with their diseased intellects, their false opinions, and their tyrannical policies; thus they neither came to know their Lord nor secured what was truly beneficial for themselves. Allah alone grants success.

Whenever a servant attains this knowledge, he lives—here in this world before the Hereafter—in a garden whose bliss resembles nothing but the bliss of the Garden to come. He is ever pleased with his Lord, and contentment is the Paradise of this life and the place of rest for those who truly know Allah. It is the serenity of the soul toward whatever befalls it of decrees that are, in reality, Allah’s own choice for him, and its tranquil acceptance of His religious commands. This is to be pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Messenger; whoever has not attained this has never tasted the sweetness of faith. (1) Such contentment corresponds to one’s knowledge of Allah’s justice, wisdom, mercy, and perfect choosing; the deeper that knowledge, the deeper the contentment.

The Lord’s decree concerning His servant ever revolves between justice, benefit, wisdom, and mercy; it never departs from these at all. As he ﷺ said in the well-known supplication: “O Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maid-servant. My forelock is in Your hand; Your command over me is ever executed, and Your decree concerning me is just. I ask You by every name that is Yours, which You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your Book, taught to any of Your creation, or kept unto Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the banisher of my sorrow, and the remover of my grief. No one ever says it without Allah removing his sorrow and grief and replacing them with joy.” They said, “Messenger of Allah, should we not learn these words?” He replied, “Indeed; it behooves anyone who hears them to learn them.” (2) What concerns us here is his statement, “Your decree concerning me is just,” which encompasses every judgment He passes upon His servant—whether punishment, pain, or the causes that lead to them;